Chapters
After a harrowing trip, the voyageurs have returned to the fort! Witness the loving reunion of friends and family who made it back home. Let the celebration begin!
The home life of a Métis family near the fort was a busy one! Running a household in the fall meant there was lots to be done, from harvesting crops and checking on the traps, to bison hunting and trading goods with the fort. And of course, there's always laundry! Some things never change!
Bison once roamed the prairies here, wild and free. The two-legged ones came to hunt them more efficiently until their prairie was taken away by trains and guns. Now they live on farms, waiting for their chance to break free!
Festival du Voyageur — Pea Soup Love Story
Experience some of the joy of Festival du Voyageur! Festival is a celebration of French Canadian and Métis cultures held once a year at Fort Gibraltar. Enjoy music, jigging, snow sculptures, great food, and all that French Métis culture has to show!
The Grey Nuns had many jobs within the convent. They were teachers, cooks, nurses, and, most importantly: doctors. Sister St. Therese was one of the best doctors who entered the St. Boniface Grey Nuns convent. She was loaned to them by the convent in Ottawa with the intent that she would eventually go back.
A Story Lived Under the Double Sign of Pride and Humility
Here, we take a look at the two flags of the Union Nationale Métisse Saint-Joseph du Manitoba. From its founding, they have responded to the need to affirm the French Métis. Listen to the fiddle played by Alexandre Tétrault and read about their story.
The Death of Elzéar Goulet - seen from a witness (on the Saint Boniface side)
Elzéar Goulet went to the Red Saloon on September 13, 1870. While there, a local called him out as the man who "shot Thomas Scott," and he was quickly chased out of the bar. As Goulet fled, he attempted to swim across the Red River until a stone hurled from the crowd hit him on the head, causing him to drown.
Chief One Arrow signed Treaty #6 in 1876. He and Louis Riel had the same mission: protecting their rights and people. Chief One Arrow was charged with treason against the Canadian Government. (Information taken from an article in Eagle Feather News John Lagimodière)
On July 22, 1968, the St. Boniface Cathedral caught fire due to a stray cigarette. Crowds gathered to watch the fire rapidly make its way through the church. Shortly before one lucky group of firemen went in, one of the towers collapsed completely.
Hope Remains After Cultural Destruction
Many children were forced to live in residential schools, being taken away from their families and having their culture ripped away. Some didn't make it home. Luckily, the ones who did, have been able to work toward re-learning their language and traditions. This story is partly told in Anishinaabemowin. Please listen with your heart.
We learn about the life of author Gabrielle Roy through 4 chapters of her life. From her early life to teaching, journalism and her study of theatre. Gabrielle was a prominent author born in St. Boniface. She often would look out the window of her house at the open fields all around.
La Vérendrye Park
Bonjour | Tansi | Bozhoo | Taanishi | Hello and welcome to La Vérendrye Park! Accompany explorer and trader Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye as he ventured west from Montreal in 1731 to find wealth and glory in the lands beyond Lake Superior. With a trade monopoly granted to him by King Louis XV, he set out to find the mysterious path to the Western Sea and the riches of China.